A spiritual guide on where to place vintage mirrors (and where not to)

We all know that vintage mirrors have certain uses: creating the illusion of depth, reflecting light and of course the practical use of being able to see one's own reflection. Additionally, we are increasingly understanding more about energy and our surroundings, and it is said that the vintage mirror placement in the house is very important as it amplifies and reflects energy into that room. Whether you believe in Qi or not (pronounced "chi"; meaning "energy flow"), it is definitely accurate from a stylistic point, so stay with me...

Entrance

The first most important place for a mirror is in the entrance or hallway. Used to make a narrow hallway feel larger, vintage mirrors would be beneficial stylistically and in terms of practicality; a quick glimpse in the mirror before exiting the domain is ideal. In Feng Shui and in interior design, the wall perpendicular to the door is best. Your vintage look mirror facing the door would cause energy to bounce straight back out the front door, however on the wall perpendicular, old fashioned mirrors here create the feel of a bigger entrance. It is said the energy bounces into the rest of the house and makes you feel at ease, inspiring a more welcoming feeling.

Living Room

If you make way to the living room... there, too, are some places where vintage mirrors should preferably be situated and some that are not. Not ideal behind a sofa, stylistically or spiritually, large vintage mirrors or even small vintage mirrors create a sense of insecurity when sitting and relaxing; a small motion of the head and you can see movement in the reflection out of your side-eye in your wall mirror, slightly distracting and even unsettling. Following the belief that a television screen is a reflective object and can therefore be considered mirror- like, (certainly deemed so in feng shui), you may have a slight crazed energy in the room especially as THE golden rule of mirror placement is never to place a mirror facing a mirror, unless you want a "Through the Looking-Glass experience" like Alice. It is worth noting that a retro mirror in a cluttered room can also make the energy busy and scattered; not so cosy.

Vintage mirrors stylistically look beautiful over a fireplace however. Above a fireplace (or above a cupboard, if lacking a fireplace) is a nice focal point for retro mirrors to circulate energy. Due to the position, a vintage round mirror will reflect energy well into other parts of the house, as well as adding the desired space, depth and amiable feel. To add an extra spiritual level, that harmonious and comforting feel you may get when you look at a fireplace and vintage wall mirrors, comes from the balance of fire elements of the fireplace and the water elements of the vintage style mirror.

Kitchen

A place to give vintage mirrors a miss is the kitchen. Practically speaking, they are likely to get dirty, have water marks, food marks, smoke? seems a bit pointless. In Feng shui, the fire energy present in the kitchen via the stove, oven, etc generally is deemed as negative, not solely for being of fire but negative due to cooking fumes, rotten food and the bin, to name a few things. This reflected energy seems as an unnecessary amplified energy to have bouncing around the house. It is said that reflective objects count as mirrors so if you have a small kitchen that you would like to make feel bigger, maybe some nice tiles can give the feeling of space without the "negativity" of actual vintage style mirrors.

Dining room

An ideal place for big vintage mirrors, whether it be a grey vintage mirror, white vintage mirror or a black vintage mirror. A dining room is a positive place and one which would benefit stylistically from a vintage style wall mirror. In terms of energy, one receives energy in the dining room via food and therefore it is a good place to disperse more qi. A nice 'reflective' can work well en lieu of a mirror, like a vintage clock, framed photos or art.

Stairs

Optimal position for an antique style mirror. Not a place one stays stationary. Almost like a guide to your next step. Let the energy flow, I mean it is obvious right? Small narrow space, vintage hanging mirrors are ideal. Also, think of adding other reflectives such as photo frames or framed posters to bring some pep to your step.

Bathroom

Antique bathroom mirrors are quite common, we like to see ourselves brush our teeth, apply creams and groom ourselves. In general, it is mentioned in Feng shui to not create too much ambiance in the bathroom due to the presence of the toilet, not that one would want to really. Usually one of the smaller rooms of the house, the use of vintage mirrors here is appropriate for the reasons mentioned above and to just add a bit more space in the room, to not feel so cramped. Reasonably sized vintage bathroom mirrors seem well... reasonable.

Bedroom

Another room you may want to think about giving vintage mirrors a miss to is the bedroom. In terms of energy it said to conduce too much energy which can disarray your place of respite. However, I will admit that I myself have a large vintage mirror in my bedroom and as long as you adhere to the golden rule of mirror placement in the bedroom - I am sure your Qi can forgive you. Golden rule: Never place a mirror facing the bed because the surplus of energy and movement reflected back can be disruptive and cause restless nights. You may not rest favourably and it has also been mentioned that a 3rd party can be attracted to your personal relationship if you are in one. My large gold vintage mirror is an antique full length mirror, again, perpendicular from the bed to avoid bad juju and I can see myself in one piece, which is a nice feeling of self-cognisance and wholesomeness.

Office/Work space

In Feng shui it is said if your vintage wall mirror is placed where you can see yourself working, the workload will feel amplified...how unappealing. From a stylistic point of view, I don't believe I have ever seen a vintage style mirror at eye level from a desk... have you? Amplified workload or not, there aren't too many of us that want to look at ourselves whilst working, so the best place for antique looking mirrors would have to be where you can see the exit!

Remember reflective objects can work as mirrors too! Consider vases, aquariums, framed posters to add that coveted depth, light and energy.

Vintage mirrors facing mirrors vintage, (see what I did there) are slightly non compos mentis, keep your space as a sanctuary and leave the mirrored rooms to changing rooms and circuses. Lastly, keep your vintage mirrors clean for good feng shui and general sanitation, the sparkle in your life will be favourable!